


Team, Unit, Family

by ICarryYourHeart



Category: The Brave (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-03-13 04:57:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13563306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICarryYourHeart/pseuds/ICarryYourHeart
Summary: A collection of team moments between missions. Jaz/Dalton, possible Amir/Hannah.Chapter 4 up: There was a reason Dalton banned pranks in the Quonset hut.





	1. Boundaries

**Author's Note:**

> I have quite the collection of team moments I've written for the Brave that don't quite fit into a planned story line, or that I feel are better as a stand-alone. While they will be somewhat connected, they won't be as tightly connected as a full work.

Thursday was mail day. It had been for the last three years. Mail day meant care packages from home, at least for Preach, Amir, and McG. Dalton rarely bothered to wait for the mail truck unless it was the third Thursday of the month, when OPS sent out their usual crate of gear. The shipment of cover items was often hotly anticipated, as there were always a few hidden gems, often nice tech pieces, that the team would fight over. 

The key to getting your hands on the best stuff that OPS sent in was to get to the shipment first. Which was why Dalton was currently standing outside the quonset hut, his eyes on the horizon. He’d positioned himself out of sight of the barracks, but stood casually enough that if one of his team members were to spot him they wouldn’t suspect anything.   

“Hey,” 

Dalton jumped guiltily and leveled a look at Jaz, who seemed to have appeared out of thin air. 

“Do you have to do that?” 

A grin curved her lips. 

“Gotta keep my skills sharp”. 

“They’re sharp enough” Dalton muttered dryly.

“What’re you up to out here?” She asked, settling back against the sun warmed wall beside him. 

“Thinking”.

“Thinking about how you’re gonna be first to open the OPS crate?” 

Dalton gave her a sidelong look, which she returned with a smug grin. 

“Maybe.” 

“You could call Noah, ask him to track the truck.” 

Dalton raised an eyebrow at her. 

“That would be an irresponsible use of resources” 

“He turned you down, huh?” 

Dalton grinned and leaned back beside her. 

“Something like that.” 

Her hair was still damp from the shower she had probably just stepped out of, and he found himself distracted by the scent warming on her skin. They hung out in companionable silence for a few moments before they saw Amir slinking along the fence. 

“Sneaky bastard” Dalton murmured. 

“Thinks he can outsmart us” Jaz scoffed. 

They set off toward Amir together, and ran into McG, who was slowly moving around a corner. 

“Mail truck?” He asked

“Mail truck.” They said in unison. 

“Where’s Preach?” McG asked suspiciously as Amir saw the trio heading towards him and threw his hands up in frustration. 

Dalton scanned the area around them, and decided Preach must be on the phone with his family, or otherwise distracted. The sworn loyalty of the battlefield held no weight when it came to the mail truck. 

 

The distant rumble of a diesel engine drew their attention to the road. Charles, the mail courier, lifted a hand in greeting as he pulled the truck up to group. 

“Got a big crate coming to you folks today” 

“Nice” Jaz said enthusiastically, and followed Amir and McG as they shoved each other playfully on the way to grab the crate. Charles pulled the door of the truck up and McG and Amir stopped mid-shove to gape at Preach crouched beside an already open crate

“Oh you rat bastard! You were gonna mooch all the best shit!” McG exclaimed. 

“You snooze you lose, McG,” Preach said, sliding a Cartier watch onto his wrist. Charles made a pained sound behind them. 

“You’re all gonna get me fired. How did you even get in there?” He asked Preach. 

“Trade secret” Preach replied simply, helping McG and Amir hoist the crate out of the truck. 

* * *

 

The crate was low on tech gear this time, but Dalton was able to snag a nice pair of battery operated ANVIS goggles with a helmet mount. They were left with mostly clothing items, and since Preach and McG were the most similar in size, they were the only ones left squabbling over the box. They fought viciously over a plain black button up, only because the other option was a skin tight salmon shirt with an obscenely low v-neck. Jaz and Amir had their pick of items, although Jaz did snatch up a leather jacket Amir had been eyeing, and when he complained, she claimed that it had a fitted cut and would draw too much attention if he wore it. 

 

Amir muttered darkly and quickly grabbed the rest of his items before Jaz could poach them. Jaz grinned victoriously and pulled out various other items, mostly simple, with a few dresses and common service staff uniforms. Dalton heard her give a low sound of appreciation and watched in amusement as she cradled a long black dress that slipped like water through her fingers. 

“I think this is one of those outfits that might just get  _ damaged beyond repair _ ” She murmured, holding the dress up to herself.

Dalton shook his head and pulled the last few items out, making sure to shove the salmon monstrosity to the back corner of the box. 

 

Reflecting back now, he realized he should have pulled that dress out of her hands and tossed it back in the box with the salmon monstrosity, but how the hell was he supposed to know how it would look on her, the way it would cling just so, and how when she walked her thigh would flash smooth tanned skin. 

 

They got a call not even a week later and the dress came with them, tucked gently into Jaz’s grab bag and wrapped in paper to protect it from snags. The team teased her mercilessly, but she ignored them, placing a protective hand over her prize. 

* * *

* * *

 

**Lyon, France**

They got a room at the Pavillon De La Rotonde, a rare luxury considering they usually slept in a drafty safehouse or in some sort of run-down hotel. Their covers required a certain appearance of wealth however, so they were all squeezed into a junior suite with two queen beds and a pull out couch for whoever lost the rock paper scissors contest. He was fiddling with the bow tie on his tux while Patricia briefed the team, when he heard a low whistle and looked back to see Jaz emerging from the bathroom wearing the dress. His hands stilled on the half formed knot at his neck. The dress was elegant, with long lace sleeves that reached her wrists, yet astonishingly sexy with a low open back that showed off smooth tanned skin. When she walked forward there was a flash of bare thigh thanks to the slit that must have been cut to her hip, and he had to pull slightly on the bow tie to loosen it. 

“Damn, I thought the point was not to attract attention.” McG said, not bothering to hide his appreciation. 

“Sometimes attracting attention to one thing hides something else” Patricia said sagely, before smiling slightly and eyeing McG. “Why do you think I got you that salmon shirt?” 

McG looked pained while the rest of his team snorted with laughter.    
  


Dalton heard his name, and when he glanced guiltily back at Patricia he could sense it wasn’t the first time she’d said it. He could have sworn he saw her eyes flick to Jaz and back to him before the smallest of smiles flashed across her lips and was gone. She continued briefing the team as though nothing had happened, and he pulled his focus back to the task at hand. 

* * *

 

The mission was flawless, and they were in and out in less than thirty minutes. Jaz had easily captured the attention of one of the men watching the doors leading to the interior of the house, and had engaged him in rapid French while Amir was able to slip in behind them to plant the bug. The slipped out as quickly as they came, while McG grumbled that he hadn’t even had the chance to try any of the appetizers. 

As was their tradition, they celebrated mission success with a few drinks. The upscale hotel bar served as the perfect place to fit in with their formal wear.

He purposely kept his gaze averted from Jaz and the _ dress.  _ The alcohol began to warm through his blood, and despite his preference to avoid more than a slight buzz, he ordered another. The bar was busy enough that he had to wait for his drink, but he welcomed the moment to clear his thoughts. The moment didn’t last long however, because Jaz slipped in beside him to order a gin and tonic, heavy on the lime. She was close enough that he could smell the perfume she had donned tonight. He didn’t know what it was about the scent that left a tight knot in his gut. 

The man beside Jaz put a hand on her back and opened his mouth to say something. As if possessed, Dalton moved forward to move the offending hand away, and stopped himself just before Jaz turned with a slow smile to look at the man. Her free hand moved lighting fast and bent the man’s hand back towards his wrist. The man yelped in pain while Jaz looked on nonchalantly, releasing him an instant later. Jaz shot Dalton a cocky grin and he felt his own lips curve. 

“That was pretty bad-ass” a clean cut guy with blonde hair said, moving in beside Jaz, but carefully keeping a respectful distance. 

“I know,” she said smoothly, humor playing at her lips. 

“I’ve been wanting to learn some self defense moves, want to teach me some?” He asked casually. 

Jaz laughed at the corny line and turned towards the guy 

“Doesn’t look like you need help defending yourself” 

“I’m a total wimp,” Clean cut blonde said, moving in closer as Jaz laughed again. 

Again, Dalton felt an almost irresistible urge move the guy away, so he turned around, gripping his glass harder than he needed to. The possessiveness he felt annoyed him, and he walked to the doors that lead to an outdoor patio in an attempt to clear his head. Even if he had any right to feel jealous over her flirtatious interactions with other men, she wasn’t a piece of property he needed to guard. He was her commanding officer, and he was out of line. Dalton took a slow sip of the whiskey and scanned the line of trees dark against the setting sun. There was a storm of emotions broiling in his chest, and he stood quietly, willing the calmness to return. He had gained a shaky tether of control when he heard the click of heels on stone. He knew it was her by the tempo of her steps. 

“Bored already?” Jaz asked as she stepped up beside him. 

“Fresh air” 

He could feel her gaze on him and he stared deliberately ahead. The loose tether on his emotions strained. 

“Something wrong?” She asked, and he glanced down to find her looking up at him in concern. 

His control slipped further as his gaze snapped to her painted mouth and back up quickly. 

“Nah, just came out to think.” 

“Good spot for it” 

“Tired of your new friend?” He asked, and was appalled at the edge to his tone. Jesus, he was out of control. 

A small flicker of annoyance crossed her face. 

“You know, you wouldn’t feel so annoyed by everyone else’s flirting if you did some of your own. I’m sure McG could give you a few pointers if you need them.” 

She knew how to get his back up. 

“I don’t need  _ pointers _ ” He said testily

Jaz’s disbelieving snort snapped the last tether of control and he turned to her, stepping in close. Her eyes widened and he leaned in closer, aware he was testing himself, but unable to resist. 

“Your drink’s getting low, need another one?”

Jaz glanced down at her full glass and back up at him with an amused grin. 

“It’s full, so..."

He wrapped gentle fingers around her wrist and brought the drink to his mouth, taking a long sip, his bottom lip pressing to the side of her index finger where she held the glass. 

“You sure about that?” He asked softly. Her lips parted slightly and she stared up at him for a moment before challenge lit her eyes

“Still good,” she said slowly. 

He took another sip, caressing the inside of her wrist with his thumb as he did so. Her eyes darkened. Half the glass was empty now. 

“You look like you could use a top off” 

“Nope, I’m fine” 

He took another long drink, leaving a small taste of liquor behind in the ice before releasing her wrist.

Jaz’s eyes were glued to his and he stepped in close enough that their thighs brushed. 

“I think you’re gonna need a refill” He whispered, and though he’d only meant to prove a point he found himself teetering dangerously close to a line he wasn’t supposed to cross. He tipped his head forward, aching to capture her lips with his, when her grip on the glass loosened. He caught it out of instinct and though it cost him, he leaned back with a cocky grin. 

“Don’t need pointers” he said smugly before turning to head inside. He missed the way she leaned heavily back against the railing as she watched him leave. 


	2. Paintball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone for the lovely feedback last chapter! Sometimes I get nervous posting my work, but you are all so encouraging.

“I’m just saying, there's a lot of talent here, and we would win.” Dalton said simply. 

Jaz scoffed, 

“Please, Hannah and I could easily take all of you.” 

“Those are fighting words Jazzy” McG said with an amused grin. 

“You’re saying you could take out four trained soldiers, just you and Hannah.” Preach said. 

“I’m willing to bet on it,” Jaz said, and glanced over at Noah. “I’ll even let you have Noah”

“Wait I don’t see how I just got roped into this,” Noah said 

“All right I’ll take that deal. Losing team buys drinks.” Dalton said

“I thought we were supposed to be heading to a military ball?” Noah said as the group stood, talking smack as they gathered weapons. “Anyone?” 

Preach put a paintball rifle in his hand and patted him enthusiastically on the back. 

“We’ll get there” he said. 

Noah looked down at the weapon in his hand and shrugged. 

“If you can’t beat ‘em” he muttered to himself. 

**_________**

“I’ve got eyes on two tango’s coming up on our left,” Hannah said, crouched beside Jaz. 

Jaz turned her scope slightly to the right and was barely able to make out the forms of Preach and Amir. 

“Oh they are making this way too easy,” Jaz said, easing her rifle up on the outcropping of rocks they hid behind. She aimed for the center of Amir’s chest, knowing if she took Preach out first, Amir would dart off too fast for her to line up a second shot. There was a loud thwack behind her, and orange paint splattered her arm as a paintball exploded on the rocks. A second shot whizzed by so close it moved the loose strands of hair at her temple. 

“Dammit Top!” Jaz grunted, hitting the ground and signalling for Hannah to sprint for different cover. She fired a few retaliating shots off, and smirked as Dalton dove for cover. 

“Told you I could outsmart you!” Dalton yelled from behind a large tree. 

“Keep dreaming pal!” Jaz shot back. 

“You’re already split up, you should probably just give up!” 

Jaz rolled her eyes, and had a retort at the tip of her tongue when she heard loud shuffling approaching from behind. She frowned briefly before recognizing Dalton’s plan and squeezed herself between two rocks, out of sight of the approaching person. 

Noah snuck in hesitantly, and Jaz leapt out, grabbing him from behind. He let out a strangled cry and dropped his gun.

“God, Dalton was right, that is terrifying.”

Jaz grinned. 

“All right, why don’t we walk out of here nice and slow, and lets hope your teammates aren’t too trigger happy” she said, easing out from behind her cover and heading into the open. 

“How did you know I was sneaking up behind you?” 

“You walk like you’ve got sandbags in your boots” 

“You guys take paintball way too seriously,” Noah sighed.

“No argument there,” Jaz replied, maneuvering Noah in front of her, and giving him a forward shove before darting behind a stack of crates where Hannah had been hiding. Hannah popped up and fired a paintball into Noah’s back before ducking back swiftly. 

“Oh! In cold blood!” Preach crowed as Noah looked at Hannah in disbelief. 

“Sorry!” Hannah dove back behind the crates as a volley of paintballs blew past her. 

“They’re trying to pin us. Fire off some cover shots and I’ll get up on the roof” Jaz instructed, bellying past some lower crates and disappearing behind the dense brush near the building. 

Hannah managed to drive off the encroaching men long enough for her to scramble up onto the roof. There was just enough cover that Jaz couldn’t quite line up the shot on Preach, so she fired blindly, hoping to at least give Hannah enough time to move up beside her. The shots from Preach’s side stopped, and she saw him backtrack.

There was a popping sound and Hannah sent Amir tumbling back behind a copse of trees.  

“Ooh, nice shot,” Jaz murmured. 

“Moving up,” Hannah said. 

\-------------------------------------------

Dalton eased himself carefully up onto a ledge to get a better eye on the building where he suspected Jaz and Hannah were currently hiding in. He struggled to find her for a moment before he spotted slight movement on the roof. The glint of a scope gave her position away and he slipped back down. He was determined to get a shot on Jaz, considering the last time they’d run a drill with the paintball guns she’d taken him out in an embarrassingly short amount of time. Although he’d been careful, the moment Dalton stepped out from behind cover he heard the pop of a gun and jumped back, glaring at the splatter of blue paint where he’d been standing just moments ago. 

“She’s got us pinned, Hannah’s up there too” he said glancing back at Preach, huddled with McG and Amir. 

“We could move up around back, sneak up on her that way.” Preach suggested. 

“She’s got Hannah covering the rear. No way we’re making it across that empty spot without being spotted.” Amir said. 

“I’ve got an idea,” McG said suddenly, pulling out his kabar and hacking at the base of a bush. 

———————

Jaz scanned the empty field. She hadn’t gotten eyes on anyone for several minutes, and it was making her twitchy. 

Hannah was behind her, scanning the field with binoculars. 

“Is that bush  _ moving _ ? Hannah asked, puzzled. 

Jaz shifted her scope to the dense rounded bush Hannah was pointing out and stared at it. The bush remained motionless for several seconds before very subtly moving horizontally across the dirt. 

“Unbelievable,” Jaz said shaking her head. She watched as the bush moved slowly across the ground again and fired off a warning shot in front of it. The bush jerked to a stop, and then suddenly sprouted long legs and darted across the clearing. Jaz was laughing too hard to line up her next shot, and it went astray. She missed the two figures darting up to the building behind her. 

“He’s a damn idiot” Jaz said, 

“A smart idiot,” Hannah supplied “how much you wanna bet that was a distraction?” 

“Good point” Jaz said, and they moved slowly off the roof. 

_________________________

 

Hannah had just made it off the roof and was sneaking to cover when she startled at the sound behind her and turned to see McG, gun pointed at her chest. 

“Hey Hannah”, he grinned. 

Hannah sighed put her gun down beside her and put up her hands. She cocked her head and eyed him. 

“You know, you really are too pretty for your own good.”

McG’s expression warmed, and he gave her the kind of smile designed to make a woman weak in the knees. But she had a smile of her own, and she used it to distract him so that he lowered his gun and she could pull out the small rifle stashed at her back. She shot him high enough on the thigh to make a point. 

“Ah dammit,” 

“Sorry McG, but not tod-“ Hannah stilled as an arm wrapped around her from behind, and a gun pressed into her waist. 

“Maybe today,” Amir’s soft voice said from behind her. 

Her pulse scrambled, and not from the element of surprise. 

“Son of a bitch,” she muttered, and she swore her knees turned to water when she felt Amir’s soft chuckle against her back. 

“Got Hannah!” He yelled out, striding triumphantly out from behind cover, arm wrapped tightly around her. 

Hannah struggled to free herself, but his arm was like banded steel around her. Amir shifted her so she blocked any shots coming in from Jaz on the right. 

“Jaz! Last chance to surrender!” Dalton shouted from inside a building. 

“Drop down,” Jaz said into Hannah’s earwig. 

Hannah looked questioningly in Jaz’s direction.

“Go limp, aim to fall right, he’ll lose his grip on you. In three, two, one” Hannah let her body go limp and heard a thwack close enough to her that blue paint lightly splattered her neck.

Amir let her go and wiped at the paint that stained his collar and shoulder. 

"I don't even know how she does it anymore," he muttered dropping his weapon and walking off the field to join Noah and McG.

"It's called accuracy Amir, you should try it sometime!" Jaz yelled.

Hannah laughed as she scooped up his rifle and sprinted for cover, but took a paintball to the back before she could make it. 

“So close,” she muttered, relinquishing the stolen weapon and striding off the field to join the others. 

“All right, I’ve got five on Dalton,” McG said, slapping a bill into Noah’s hands. 

“Hmmm, no, definitely Jaz,” Amir said forking over a crumpled bill. 

They looked expectantly up at Hannah. 

“My girl Jaz”, she said and then looked at Noah “IOU?” 

He fished a bill out of his pocket and added it to the pile.

“Nah, now we’re even for coffees” 

Noah frowned and cocked his head, pressing a finger to the ear that held his com. 

“Besides the fact that that’s blatant cheating, I would have considered it if you hadn’t used me as a meat shield to draw Jaz out” he said dryly. 

The guys chuckled and Noah held out a hand, “hand them over,” he said, and waited until all three coms dropped into his hand. 

—————————-

Dalton grinned. Hell, it had been worth a try. 

“All right Preach, lets-” 

“Oh come on!” Preach complained, cutting Dalton off “How did you even make that shot?” 

There was silence followed by Preach’s chuckle. 

“You better watch out Top shotter, she’s on her game today.” 

Dalton stepped back silently, knowing Jaz was close since there wasn’t the usual taunt that followed a shot. He strained his ears, waiting for the slightest sound to reveal her location. Dalton was aware that it was a mostly hopeless endeavor. If she didn’t want to be heard she wouldn’t. 

He might have been caught unaware if a slant of sunlight hadn’t chosen that moment to land perfectly on the reflective surface of her scope. The dot of light wavered on the floor and moved away. Dalton pressed himself tightly against the wall and waited for Jaz to appear. She did so, slowly, and without sound. He grabbed onto her forearm and the rifle, yanking her into the room, but she moved like lighting, whipping out the secondary weapon at her thigh.

_________________

Jaz let out a grunt as Dalton knocked the pistol out of her hand and shoved her up against the wall. 

“Told you I could outsmart you,” Dalton said, grinning down at her like an idiot. 

Jaz struggled against his grip. He was much stronger than her, a fact that she could usually outmaneuver, but he’d gotten the jump on her. 

“You’re gonna have to let go of one of my arms if you wanna get a shot.” She said snidely. 

“Yeah, I do that and you’ll wiggle yourself free in a second.”    
Jaz smirked “What’s your move then?” 

“I’m thinking,” Dalton said, eyeing her. 

“We could call it a draw, give each other a 5 second gap.”    
“The moment I let you go you’re gonna pull out one of your hidden guns and shoot me” 

“You took both my guns,” Jaz said innocently. 

Dalton bumped her hip back lightly with his thigh and there was the loud click of metal on concrete. 

“Whoops” Jaz said with a laugh, her voice coming out a little breathier than intended. 

“Thought so,” Dalton murmured, eyes warm with humor. 

She knew she was staring at him, but when he looked at her like that her brain clouded. His smile faded slightly as his eyes darkened. She felt his grip on her arms loosen, but that wasn’t what kept her pinned to the wall anymore. Nerves set her pulse humming and she drew on that energy to slip out of his grip and grab for the gun at her lower back. He had his own paintball rifle pointed at her before she could get a shot off. 

“Your move Jaz,” he said, his expression normal again. 

Jaz eased back, feeling for the door, and darted out, heading for the the storage building next to their barracks.

 

\---------------------------

Dalton chased after her, managing to fire off a few shots that missed by centimeters. He eased into the building, and was stopped short by Patricia, rounding the corner in an elegant evening dress in light gray. 

She raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at his gun.

“You better point that thing away from this dress,” 

Dalton dropped the rifle he was holding at the fire ready position, and gave her a sheepish grin that turned into a look of disbelief as she pulled a paintball pistol from behind her back and shot him straight in the chest. 

Jaz melted out of the shadows, grinning from ear to ear, and held out her hand for the pistol. Patricia smiled at Dalton. 

“Guess that’s a win for the blue team then”

"Well if I'd known you were gonna pull Patricia in I wouldn't have wagered a win," Dalton said, aiming a look at Jaz. 

"I saw an opportunity and I took it." 

Dalton chuckled 

“I almost had you” 

“Keyword ‘almost’” Jaz replied. 

“So you want to tell me again why your team is outside covered in dirt when the military ball starts in 45 minutes?” Patricia asked    
Dalton winced and scratched the back of his neck. 

“We had to settle an argument” 

“Uh huh,” Patricia said dryly. 

Dalton leaned out the building and gestured to the team outside. 

“We got mandofun in 45!” 

 

\-------------------------

They made a picture, the team standing in their dress ASU’s while opening ceremonies commenced. Amir felt a surge of pride as he watched the flag being hoisted, and melted quietly back into the crowd as the ceremony ended. Patricia spoke with a group of generals with Noah at her side, while McG made a beeline for the open bar with Preach. Amir headed for the empty table reserved as an homage to fallen comrades, and wasn’t surprised to see Jaz standing there already. She was staring at the picture of a smiling soldier he knew must be Elijah. Amir started forward, but paused as he saw Dalton crossing to Jaz. 

He wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but he didn’t miss the way Dalton’s hand reached out to brush slightly over Jaz’s fingers in a subtle move that was over in a flash. Her smile was tinged with sadness, but she nodded and Dalton stepped away. Her gaze followed him, and then she too stepped away from the table, heading in the opposite direction. Amir moved forward and paid his own respects. There were too many pictures on the table, and for a moment he felt a helpless anger at the evil in the world. 

A laugh pulled him out of his tumultuous thoughts, and he glanced up to see Hannah. 

He couldn’t help but be momentarily captivated by her. She was stunningly beautiful of course, but something else, something deeper, drew him to her. She made him want for something he knew he couldn’t have, so he turned away, forcing himself to create distance and center himself. 

McG walked up to stand beside him and gave him a sidelong glance. 

“You really like her huh?” 

Amir tensed at being read so easily. 

“Nah man it’s not so obvious, I just know you. You get that little crease right here,” McG said, pointing to Amir’s forehead. 

“I don’t get a crease, it’s just my face.” 

McG snorted. “Yeah okay. You should ask her to dance.” 

Amir gave him a look. 

“Well if you’re not interested…” McG said, his gaze warming as he saw Hannah cross to them. 

Amir felt instantly annoyed, but he kept his gaze calm as McG put a hand on Hannah’s back. 

——————————-

McG leaned over to whisper in Hannah’s ear. 

“On a scale of 1 to 10, how handsome do I look right now.” 

“Oh definitely a solid 4,” Hannah said, smile playing around her mouth. 

“Ouch,” McG said, enjoying her sharp wit. 

To the outside eye, the arm he hung casually around her waist may have seemed flirtatious, but things had remained strictly friendly between them. McG had been somewhat surprised that the sizzle of chemistry he usually felt around a woman he found attractive had been completely lacking. He thought maybe it was because of the fact that Hannah’s eyes always seemed to pass over him to land on Amir. 

McG glanced back casually and wasn’t surprised to see Amir’s gaze on Hannah. The guy had it bad, and knowing Amir, he would do absolutely nothing about it. The dude thought he was screwed up somehow, and hell, maybe he was, but if anyone in this business could come out saying they weren’t a little messed up he had yet to hear of them. 

“Dance with me,” McG said suddenly, giving Hannah a little tug onto the dance floor. 

“Um, can you have this dance? Why yes  _ Joseph _ , you may. How courteous of you to ask,” Hannah said dryly as he pulled her onto the floor. 

“I’m trying to get that blonde’s attention.” He explained, smiling slightly as he glanced back to see Amir’s tense gaze across the room. 

“I’m not even gonna ask how this is supposed to work, or bother to be offended by the fact that you’re blatantly using me.” 

McG flashed her a grin, trying to be subtle as he maneuvered her towards Amir.

“I excel in the art of seduction” 

Hannah snorted. 

McG smiled winningly at her and shot an arm out to grab Amir. 

“Dance with Hannah, I’ve got a love connection to make” he said, depositing Hannah neatly in Amir’s arms.

He strode off, resisting the urge to look back. 

____________

There were drunk butterflies doing battle in her stomach. 

“We don’t have to-“ 

“I could dance,” Amir said, cutting Hannah off and leading her gently onto the dance floor. He had a proper hand at her waist, and clasped her hand lightly as he moved her around the dance floor. There was no reason for her to be sweating right now.

“Oh my god, you used to take dance lessons didn’t you?” Hannah said with amusement as he began to lead her in a perfect waltz. 

“I'm embarrassed to admit I took eight years of dance lessons,” Amir said dryly

“Are there pictures?”

“An obscene amount.”

A laugh bubbled out of her. 

“Please tell me there were sequins” 

Amir’s eyes met hers and she threw her head back and laughed. 

“Oh god, there were sequins.” 

He laughed, that quiet laugh of his that appeared so rarely, and she swore she melted. He stepped in closer, sliding his hand around to her back, and she hoped he wouldn’t feel her heart hammering against her ribs. 

“This stays between us,” Amir said with mock seriousness

"My lips are sealed." Hannah said solemnly. 

His eyes crinkled in amusement and then his gaze traveled to her neck. She tensed for a moment, thinking of the scars that marred her skin there. 

"You've still got a little paint on you," he said, releasing her hand to brush the pad of his thumb at the base of her neck. 

"Oh," she said, and the word sounded a lot more like a moan than she had intended, but her system had gone haywire the moment he'd touched her bare skin. 

Amir's eyes met hers and for a moment she saw fierce desire bloom there as his fingers tensed at her back, but it was gone again in an instant. 

“You know I’m gonna need more details about these dance classes” 

“Well there was the Salsa, Viennese waltz, and there was an embarrassing brush with the tango.” He let out a smile she hadn’t seen before and spun her out in a quick move before bringing her back to him. She laughed in surprised delight, and her fingers curled up into the hair at his neck. His eyes snapped to hers and he fumbled a step. Hannah felt a satisfied glow. Seemed she wasn’t the only one affected. 

______________

McG spied Jaz across the room and sidled over. 

“Not in the mood to join the festivities?” 

She gave him a droll look. 

“I don’t dance” 

“If you don’t know how I can teach you,” he said, grinning at her scowl. 

“Weren’t you busy harassing Hannah?” Jaz asked irritably. 

“I believe the word you were looking for is “charming”, and no, because Amir wants to charm Hannah” he said, gesturing to the two on the dance floor

Jaz glanced at them and frowned. 

“They’re just friends.” 

“Sure, just like you and…” he trailed off, glancing across the room to Dalton. That was a situation he was decidedly  _ not _ going to involve himself in. 

“Me and who?” Jaz asked 

“You and me, except you know, they want to see each other naked” he finished lamely. 

Jaz tilted her head and looked back at Amir. 

“How the hell do you come up with this crap?” 

“I don’t come up with anything, it’s obvious.” He glanced at Jaz, who looked confused. “Well maybe not to you,” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she demanded

“Nothing,” he said, trying to backtrack “why are you so cranky anyway?” he asked looking back down at her. She had a slight frown on her face as she stared across the room. 

“I hate this damn thing,” she said, tugging on the sleeve of her ASU coat.

McG followed her gaze to see Dalton smiling down at a woman who laid a hand on his arm. Hell, he knew how shitty that felt, and he felt a twinge of sympathy for Jaz. 

“Well since neither of us is getting laid tonight, wanna get drunk instead?” 

“Not gonna say no to that,” Jaz replied with a grin.  

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hannah/Amir is one of those ships that comes at you out of nowhere and then suddenly it's full steam ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

The nightmare had Jaz shooting out of bed and running out of her room before she was fully awake. Jaz was still trapped in the terrifying dream world where McG was dying on the hot dusty floor, and she pressed cold hands to an imaginary wound that turned out to be a warm bare chest. The somewhat shrill shriek had her stumbling back as McG launched out of his bed. 

“Why are you screaming?” she hissed. 

“Why am I screaming? Why are you jumping on me in the middle of the- oof!” 

McG grunted as Jaz was bumped into him and Amir’s voice sounded in the darkness. 

“What, what is it?” Amir asked, voice alert. 

“Nothing, just Jazzy here wanting to jump in my be- ow!” McG rubbed at the spot Jaz had pinched. 

A large figure rushed into the room and there was much jostling and cursing as Preach stumbled around the small dark room. 

“Ouch! Why are you wearing shoes?!” 

“Why are you all in he-” Preach was thrown forward as Dalton rushed into the room, and there was a loud thud as an overexcited Patton knocked Jaz off her feet. 

“Can someone get the damn dog!”

“What the hell is going on in here?”    


“Why is it so-“ there was a yelp as Preach stepped on a foot “son of a bitch! Who’s wearing shoes?” 

“Turn on the light…” Preach said wearily. 

There was more shuffling as Amir tried to get to the light, but was knocked sideways by McG who had been going for it. 

“Oh come on!” Jaz complained as her face smacked into Amir’s rear end. 

The light flickered on, and five sleep mussed soldiers stared grumpily around the room. All focus went to McG, clad in a particularly small set of boxer briefs. 

“Ugh!” 

“What the hell are you wearing?”    


“Why are they red?” 

“Jesus McG!” 

McG looked at them, aghast.

“I am in  _ my _ room! Where I was sleeping in  _ my  _ bed!”

A laugh bubbled out of Jaz, chasing away the last of the cold fear from the nightmare.

“Why the hell is everyone in here?” Dalton asked wearily

“There was screaming,” Amir said, glancing at Preach who shrugged. 

“Sounded like a young girl,” Preach added, eyes sliding to McG. 

There was a snort from Amir’s side of the the room. 

“Do you all mind?” McG demanded, gesturing for them to leave his room. 

“Ooh, touchy” Amir said, grinning at Jaz as they herded out of the room. Patton followed, tail still wagging.  

There was an unspoken agreement between the group not to mention the nightmare that had pulled Jaz out of bed.  Except for Dalton, who fell into step beside her as she headed for her room.

“You good?” His eyes traveled to the small wisps of hair that stuck to her damp forehead. 

“Well I had my face pressed against Amir’s ass first thing in the morning, so no not really.” 

Dalton chuckled

“Yeah that’s a pretty rough start” 

“I’m right here,” Amir complained. 

Jaz shrugged. 

“I’m just being honest” 

Jaz felt Dalton’s eyes lingering on her as the team disappeared into their rooms. 

“What?”

He paused for a moment, as if searching for words.

“I’m  _ fine _ ”. 

“I know that.”

“Then why are you looking at me like that?” 

Dalton sighed 

“Because I know how shitty it feels when you think you’re fine, but then a nightmare sneaks up on you and makes you question how ‘fine’ you really are.” 

Jaz shrugged. 

“Just part of the territory right?” 

“Some yeah. Look, you know if you need to-“

“I’m squared away.” Jaz said, not sure why she felt so defensive. 

Dalton nodded, stepping back. 

“Okay.” 

Jaz stepped back into her room, closing the door behind her. There was a low whining behind her and she looked at Patton lying on the floor by her bed. 

“Yeah I know, I was being an ass.” She told the dog, stepping over him to lie back on her bed. Her hand drifted down to stroke his fur, and she grimaced as he pushed a wet nose into her hand. 

“That’s gross you know that?” 

* * *

 

     Amir stared at the ceiling as light filtering through the window began giving shape to the indiscernible darkness. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep after the midnight fiasco. The slightly haunted look in Jaz’s eyes had awoken a few demons of his own. As with each of his team members, he’d come to care deeply for her, and he lay awake wondering if he should have said something or tried to offer words of comfort. Except, they weren’t quite there yet, and he didn’t exactly know what to say that would make the situation any better. He felt just as terrible on nights when he became so exhausted that his defenses were down, and one of those soul chilling nightmares snuck in. What could he say except,  _ I understand, and no it probably won’t get better, but maybe you’ll learn to deal with it. _

Yes, maybe it was best he stayed quiet. 

Because the sun had spent a good twenty minutes steadily rising above the horizon, Amir reasoned that it was early enough to cook breakfast. 

Cooking was the one thing that kept him tied to the sliver of his old life that remained. Not that he’d ever done anything in those selfish days of youth. But the smells, the sounds, those brought him back to moments in the kitchen where his mother’s laugh wasn’t tinged with grief, and when his sister would amaze them all with musical talent. 

They hadn’t been to the commissary between missions, and the fridge reflected it. There were two dozen eggs, one beer, and a variety of condiments, plus one sad looking lemon on the counter. Amir shook his head. He was going to take over grocery runs too. 

Although the pancake recipe was simple, the process of mixing, measuring, and zesting in some lemon was just as soothing as a more complicated recipe. He poured batter slowly into the pan so that a perfect circle formed, sizzling as it cooked. A quick jerk of the pan had the pancake flipping neatly to brown on the other side. 

“You know I’ve never actually seen someone do that in real life.” 

A little startled at the sudden voice behind him, Amir turned to see Jaz perched on the dining table. 

“A very cocky teenage me tried to use it to impress women.” He flipped the pancake up high enough that he could step forward and catch it behind his back. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Impressed?” 

Jaz smirked. 

“Did that ever work out for you?” 

“Not even once” 

Jaz laughed, and Amir gestured to the pan. 

“Want to give it a whirl?” 

Jaz looked suspiciously at the stove. 

“I’m not really the cooking type.” 

Amir shrugged. “Well if you don’t think you can” 

She was beside him in an instant, and Amir wisely hid the knowing smile. 

“Okay master chef, how do I flip this thing?”

“Well first you actually have to have a pancake in the pan.”

“The sarcasm is not appreciated” 

Amir grinned, handing her a ladle. Jaz dunked it in the batter and poured a lumpy looking circle. 

“Good, and now you wait for it to bubble up all the way to the center, give it a little jerk to loosen it, then flip it up.” 

Jaz listened to his directions as if he was instructing her how to defuse a bomb. The batter bubbled perfectly into the center and Jaz gave it a quick jerk, flipped it, and cursed when the pancake landed next to the pan. 

“That was close” Amir said, not daring to smile. 

Jaz gave him a look and dunked the ladle back into the bowl. 

 

Within a few attempts Jaz was managing to catch the pancake each time, and they had even started resembling decent pancakes. 

Amir grinned as Jaz let out a whoop and slid a perfectly browned pancake onto the plate where his single pancake had already gone cold. 

“Why are you being so noisy?” McG muttered as he shuffled into the kitchen. 

“Check it,” Jaz said, turning around and giving the pan a small shake before flipping the pancake over with a flourish. 

McG didn’t look impressed.

“And?”

“You try then!” Jaz said irritably. 

McG swaggered up and took the pan from her, pouring batter into a reasonably well shaped circle. 

“Pancakes are my morning after specialty” 

“Well that just ruined pancakes for me” 

McG shrugged and gave the pan a shake. The pancake remained stubbornly in the pan. 

Amir snorted, not bothering to hide his amusement as McG scowled at him. 

“I feel sorry for whoever you’ve been serving pancakes to” 

Amir took the pan and gave it a quick jerk, tossing the pan to the other hand and catching the pancake smoothly. 

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” McG said dryly. 

“Says the guy who can’t even manage to flip a pancake”

“Give it here,” McG said, pouring a careful circle of batter and watching the dough cook. He managed to flip the pancake this time, although it landed off center before he tilted the pan to slide it to the middle. 

“Didn’t you all cause enough ruckus this morning?” Preach said as he walked in, followed closely by Dalton. 

“That’s the shittiest flip I’ve ever seen, Jaz said, pulling out a second pan and heating it over a burner. She dripped in some oil and poured batter. 

“That doesn’t even resemble a pancake” McG said, looking at the misshapen circle.

“Wager you a 20 I can flip this better than you.” 

“Easy money,” McG retorted. 

They watched the batter bubble, and flipped in unison. McG cursed as his pancake landed raw side down on the floor, and Jaz whooped as she held out her pan with a perfectly centered pancake. 

“Oh I’m getting in on this,” Preach said, nudging McG aside and dipping the ladle in the bowl. It scraped along an empty bottom. Preach looked expectantly at Amir. 

“What?” 

“The batter, Amir. We’re trying to settle something here.” 

“That was supposed to be breakfast, not fuel for a wager.” 

“Make the batter” Jaz said, shoving the flour at him. 

Amir sighed and doubled the batter mixture, zesting in lemon again despite himself. 

McG grabbed a stack of pancakes and doused them in syrup. 

“Might as well have breakfast,” he muttered. 

They watched Jaz and Preach with anticipation. The first flip was evenly matched, and Jaz frowned into Preach’s pan. 

“Okay, extra points for execution and style” 

Preach grinned

“I do everything with style” 

Jaz shrugged and on her next flip she managed to pull off a somewhat shaky but reasonable copy of Amir’s pancake flip over the shoulder. 

Preach tried a move that failed spectacularly when the pan clanged to the floor. Jaz grinned victoriously and eyed Dalton, who paused with a mouthful of pancakes. 

“It’s okay, I don’t want to show you up.” he said. 

Jaz scoffed and turned away. 

“You can admit you don’t know how to do it.” 

Dalton shoveled a large bite of pancakes into his mouth and moved to stand beside Jaz. 

“You brought this on yourself” 

She snorted. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” 

Dalton filled the pan with batter and glanced casually at Jaz. 

“Careful there, you wouldn’t want to mess up your flip” 

Jaz scoffed, noticing that Dalton’s pancake was fully bubbled. 

“Burnt pancakes don’t count.” 

Without breaking eye contact, Dalton perfectly flipped his pancake, catching it easily. Jaz narrowed her eyes. Dalton let out a sly grin. 

“Don’t tell me, you used it to impress girls”

“Yes, but it actually worked.” Dalton said, smirking at Amir before flipping his pancake up and into Jaz’s pan, where it landed perfectly on top of her cooked one. He slid both out of the pan onto the steadily growing pile. 

Jaz shrugged in defeat, and grabbed Dalton’s half eaten plate. 

“I was eating those.” 

“You have to challenge Amir,” Jaz said around a mouthful of pancakes. 

As with most things that started with a wager, things soon got out of hand. It was only when they ran out of eggs that the room fell silent, and they stared at the mountains of pancakes that were piled on the counter. 

“We probably took it a bit too far,” Preach mused

“Yup,” Jaz said, pushing her plate back. 

Amir stared at the mess in the kitchen. Leave it to the team to turn a quiet ritual into boisterous wager between friends. A smile spread across his face. He thought he might like the boisterous version better. 

* * *

 

Jaz spied Dalton outside tossing a ball to Patton. Because she felt guilty about their earlier interaction she walked over, smiling as she overheard Dalton arguing with the dog. 

“No, that’s not how you play catch. The whole point is you return the-” Dalton lunged for the ball Patton had dropped, but Patton was faster and took off with it again. “-the ball” Dalton finished wearily. 

“I think he likes his version better,” she commented. 

Dalton glanced up, an amused grin on his face. 

“I don’t even know why I bothered to take him in if he’s not gonna act like a dog” 

Jaz stood beside him, laughing as Patton dropped the ball a few feet from Dalton. Dalton made a grab for the ball and chuckled as Patton took off with it again, running mad circles around the courtyard. 

“Sorry I was such an ass earlier.” Jaz said, 

Dalton shrugged “you weren’t” 

“I was, and I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to apologize” he said, frowning 

“Are we really arguing about me apologizing?” 

Dalton smiled and then turned to look at her. 

“I hope you know, when I was asking if you were good I was asking as a friend, and not your CO.” 

Jaz felt guilt warring with the warmth his statement brought into her chest.  

“I knew that, I-” she paused, realizing she wanted him to know “I don’t think of you as just my CO, you’re…I have trouble opening up, even to people I care about.” She finished lamely, wishing she weren’t as clumsy with her words. 

Dalton smiled and reached to brush away a strand of hair that had come loose from her braid. His hand froze millimeters away from her face before he let it fall. Suddenly the uncomfortable tension that sometimes sprang up between was thick in the air. 

Jaz backed away, only because the desire to step forward was stronger. 

“I’m gonna go help Amir take all the extra food over to the main barracks” Jaz said briskly, and walked away, fighting the part of her that wanted to push at that tenuous line that existed between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For any Harry Potter fans, that first scene was partially inspired by one of my favorite humorous scenes in Goblet of Fire, when the Weasley's get stuck in the Dursley's fireplace.


	4. Prank War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I felt like posting something a little silly before I updated Beauty in the Broken, so enjoy! Mildly in character, a hint of Jalton, and just general team fun. And as always, I couldn't have done it without Team BC.

There was a reason Dalton banned pranks. They started off fairly innocuous, but as with all things that involved even the slight chance of turning competitive between the team, it quickly got out of hand. 

McG glanced at the watch on his wrist and sighed.  _ How long did it take to shower anyway?  _ He’d spent nearly ten minutes waiting outside the bathroom for Jaz  when Amir, who happened to be passing by on his way to his room, gave him a questioning look. Amir opened his mouth to ask about the pie, but was silently shushed as they heard the sound of footsteps. 

The door handle turned. McG moved quickly, aiming the pie for Jaz’s face, but she was quicker, ducking so the pie smacked harmlessly against the door. The three of them watched the banana cream pie slide down the door, leaving a trail of cream and custard before falling with a soft plop. 

“What are you, one of the Three Stooges?” She demanded. 

“That pie took me an hour to make” Amir said wearily. 

They all jumped slightly at the sound of an air horn and loud cursing. McG smirked and then tried to look innocent as Preach came storming into their sleeping area, holding up an air horn with duct tape flapping around it. His furious gaze roved to Jaz who stood by the pie, hair damp, then to Amir, who looked slightly confused, and finally to McG, who was staring intently at the wall. 

“Let me guess, you thought it would be hilarious to tape an air horn under my computer chair to scare me. Well it worked buddy. A little too well, since our tough book is now covered in smoothie.” 

“Aren’t they waterproof?” McG asked, wincing slightly

“What did Adam say about pranks?” Preach demanded.

McG shrugged sheepishly. 

“I thought it was more of a suggestion” he said and then he looked up at Dalton’s room. “I should probably ta-” a muffled pop cut him off and the four of them watched in silence as Dalton walked slowly out of his room, hair mussed from sleep, and covered in confetti. 

Jaz was the first to crack, snickering into her fist as Dalton’s eyes landed on McG. 

“What did I say about pranks?” 

“Uh, the exact words escape me at the moment,” McG said, shifting slightly to hide the pie plastered to the door. 

This of course drew Dalton’s eyes right to the mess, and he let out a sigh. 

“Clean it up” 

Amir looked suspiciously at McG. 

“You’ve targeted the whole team, am I going to have something unpleasant waiting for me?” 

McG shrugged. 

“Nah man, I didn’t have time to get to you.” 

Amir narrowed his eyes. 

“You’re obviously lying” 

“Scouts honor” McG said seriously. 

“Means nothing if you’ve never been a boy scout,” Dalton said, shaking confetti out of his hair. 

“Fine, I was gonna replace the pie with something else and see if you noticed,” McG admitted.

Amir wasn’t buying it, and he opened the door to his room slowly, glancing around. Jaz peered in curiously. The room appeared as it always did, meticulously neat and minimalist. 

“See? Nothing” McG said from behind them. 

Amir stepped in, bumping slightly against his dresser, and turned back to McG, eyeing him suspiciously. 

* * *

 

Jaz followed Dalton down the hall, snickering at the bits of confetti that fluttered from him. They reached the kitchen, and he gave her a look of mock disapproval. 

“I don’t know why you’re so amused.” 

Jaz smiled, and dusted brightly colored bits of tissue paper from his shoulder. A small square of confetti was stuck in his beard, and she brushed her hand over it. Dalton went completely still, and Jaz was slightly surprised to see him looking down at her. His eyes darkened and her pulse thrummed as she allowed her fingers to trace over his jaw and into the hair at the back of his neck. Dalton’s eyes were hooded as he looked down at her. Her fingers fisted in his hair, and then released as voices growing louder down the hall caused them to jump apart. Jaz made a hasty retreat to her room.

* * *

 

The problem with pranks was they always required retribution, and the problem with retribution was that it didn’t always hit the intended target. 

Jaz was getting dressed when she heard a loud crash coming from the bathroom. She popped her head out of her room to see a partially sudsy and very naked McG bolting past. Jaz wrinkled her nose and turned to see Dalton standing in the hallway smirking. 

“And here I thought you were above pranks,” she said.  

He shrugged his shoulders and went into the bathroom to retrieve the large, but harmless, huntsman spider he’d planted in the shower. McG’s fear of spiders was supposed to be a secret, so naturally everyone knew about it. 

Because his prank had resulted in her being flashed by McG, Jaz plotted her own retribution against Dalton. 

Her plan to scare him backfired when she jumped out of the shadows at Amir, not Dalton, and had a heart stopping moment of her own when Amir lunged instinctively at her with a blade. 

“Oh my god why are you carrying a knife?” Jaz snapped, pressing a hand to her throat where here pulse was stuttering. 

“Why are you jumping out at people?” Amir demanded, secreting the small blade away again. 

“How many knives are you carrying?” Jaz retorted, staring suspiciously at him. 

“Enough,” Amir said simply, and strode out of the hallway. 

Jaz shook her head and rounded the corner, nearly bumping into McG. He jumped a full foot in the air and barely muffled a shriek before glaring at her. 

“Why are you sneaking around?” 

“Still a little jumpy huh?” She asked with a smirk. 

“That thing was the size of a small chihuahua,” McG grumbled. 

“Maybe a mouse, and that’s being generous. Also, don’t even think about using my shower.” She warned. 

“Our shower’s been violated” McG said seriously

“Top took the spider out,” Jaz replied, and moved in front of her bathroom to block the entrance. 

McG looked longingly at her shower before sighing and turning around. Satisfied, Jaz turned away, replotting her revenge. 

* * *

 

In the kitchen, Amir grabbed blue dye and snuck into the barracks while no one was looking. He poured an excessive amount into Jaz’s shower head and screwed it back on, wiping away any evidence before sneaking back out. 

If he’d been even a minute later, he would have bumped into McG, who was taking advantage of Jaz’s absence to use her shower. 

* * *

 

Dalton was poring over paperwork when he suddenly stilled. The quonset hut was quiet. Too quiet. He stood, glancing around the large empty space. 

“Okay Jaz, I know you’re there, I’m not going to fall for yo- aaAergh!” Dalton let out a yell as an air horn sounded right behind him, and turned to glare at Jaz. 

“Why?” 

“It’s your fault I saw McG naked,” she said simply. 

The door connecting the Quonset hut to the barracks slammed open, and McG walked out furiously. 

“Why? Am I  _ blue? _ ” He demanded. 

“Oh my god” Jaz breathed, sinking back onto the dining table and holding her middle as she laughed. “Oh god you’re actually blue!” she wheezed. Dalton was snickering beside her. 

Amir stepped into the Quonset hut, rubbing his knee where he’d banged it against the end table in his room. He grinned at the sight of McG, and decided it was probably better his prank hadn’t landed on its intended target. Jaz was scary when she was mad. 

“See?” Jaz managed “this is why you shouldn’t prank people” 

McG scowled at her. “Actually, Jazzy, you were the target. This was from  _ your  _ shower.” 

Jaz immediately straightened and glared first at Amir, then at McG 

“I told you guys to stay the hell out of my shower.” 

They shifted guiltily and shuffled off. 

* * *

 

Because she suspected Amir would retaliate, Jaz stepped suspiciously into her room, checking for anything out of place. She almost relaxed, but then her eyes landed on a very large blown up photo of Adam Dalton, shirtless, taped to her wall. There were pink glittery heart stickers tacked haphazardly around it. 

“Jaz, Amir said you needed me for something?” 

For the first time in their three years working together, Dalton was the one who made Jaz jump. He looked at her in bemusement as she floundered, and then his eyes traveled to the poster behind her. 

“I didn’t, that wasn’t. I-” Jaz could feel her cheeks burning as she stuttered. Dalton looked wildly uncomfortable for a moment before chuckling. 

“Amir,” he said, shaking his head. “See, this is why I banned pranks.” 

Jaz glared out her door and stalked to the poster tacked just high enough that she had to jump slightly to reach it. 

“I’m gonna kill him just as soon as I get this damn thing off my wall,” she muttered, and then caught herself. “Not that it isn’t. I mean, you look good, I just-” Jaz clamped her mouth shut, deciding  she would crawl into the first hole she could find. 

Dalton grinned, “I look good huh?” 

“Oh shut up,” Jaz snapped, flushing slightly.

“Here I’ll get it,” he said, pulling the picture down and rolling it into a tight tube. “I’m gonna go burn this” he said, gesturing to the rolled up paper in his hands, and then pointed at Jaz. “you, don’t retaliate.” 

Jaz pasted an innocent expression on her face. 

“Scouts honor” she said. 

“Again, that means nothing, because I know for a fact you were not a girl scout” Dalton said wearily. 

Jaz just smiled. 

* * *

 

In the evening, Preach snuck silently into McG’s room and shaved off an eyebrow. His best kept secret was that he could be nearly as sneaky as Jaz when he wanted to be. 

 

The sat phone rang while the sun was still making its way up the horizon. Jaz stumbled through her bedroom door and yelped slightly as she triggered a can of Silly String to empty itself all over her. Preach slid out of his room and grinned at her. 

“That was for the scorpion in my closet” 

“That wasn’t me!” Jaz said indignantly. 

Preach paused for a moment. 

“Hmmm, there’s a chance it could have just crawled in there by itself” he admitted sheepishly.

"You think?" Jaz said indignantly .

McG shuffled past them, still tinted slightly blue, and missing an eyebrow. 

Preach had a satisfied grin on his face when Jaz turned to him. 

“You were busy last night” she noted.

Preach shrugged. 

There was a loud  _ thump _ behind the door just down the hallway and Amir emerged sleepily, limping slightly from where he’d stubbed his toe against his dresser. 

The team trailed into the Quonset hut and waited for Preach to enable video connection. Dalton gestured to McG to move out of view. 

“The last thing we need is OPS to see your blue face, McG” Dalton muttered “And Preach, since you decided to shave off his eyebrow, you can draw one back on for him”

McG clapped a hand over his forehead in horror. 

“My what?!” 

The team collapsed into laughter, stopping only when the connection chimed in. The image projected to the DIA was of a group of professionals. No one would know that a full out prank spree had broken out just hours before. 

Patricia briefed the team, and Dalton was just saying his goodbyes when Patricia held up a hand. Her gaze focused on something in the background, and her eyes narrowed. The team shifted uncomfortably and her gaze flicked back to Dalton. 

“Why is McGuire blue?” 

McG, who had been reaching for a snack on the counter, froze. 

Dalton’s lip quirked. 

“Ah, sorry director, mishap with one of the showers. We’ll get it fixed.” 

Patricia’s expression flattened. “Uh huh, and I’m assuming that shower shaved his eyebrow off too” 

The snickers behind him caused Dalton to break into a grin. 

“Sorry director, won’t happen again.” Dalton said, trying his best to keep his face sober. 

Patricia disconnected the video, but not before he saw the small smile on her face. 

“You were moving my furniture!” Amir suddenly burst out, causing everyone to turn around and look at him. 

He was staring accusingly at McG, and then he yanked up his sweatpants, revealing a series of bruises on his shins. 

McG snorted. 

“Hey, you’re sharp, I had to be subtle” McG confessed. "I kept moving it slightly every time he left the room" McG explained, chuckling as Amir rubbed at his shin. 

“And this,” Dalton said, glancing around at his team. “Is why I banned pranks” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed a bit of crack!fic. Feedback is always appreciated!


End file.
